The entertainment service Netflix plans to make 17 original movies and television programs in Asia in an effort to get more international subscribers.

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos announced the plan this week at a gathering called “See What’s Next: Asia” in Singapore.

It marked Netflix’s first content showcase in Asia.

Sarandos said, “The beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world.”

Netflix said in a statement it aims to increase “its investment in Asian storytellers, amplifying their voices to the world.”

Netflix has won over young middle-class Asians with programs such as the movie series “Baahubali” and “Sacred Games” from India, “Devilman Crybaby” from Japan, and “Busted!” from South Korea.

The streaming service has recently added more subscribers than expected. Most of the new subscribers have come from outside the United States.

At the end of September, the service had 137 million subscribers worldwide. Netflix Chief Reed Hastings has said India alone could bring in the service’s next 100 million subscribers.

I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from Reuters and Netflix. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

original - adj. made or produced first

subscriber - n. a person who pays money to get a service or publication regularly

content - n. ideas, facts, or images in a book, movie, article, etc.

amplify - v. to make something louder

streaming - adj. playing continuously as data is sent over the internet